Kidzania: All Shades of Awesome

Logan and I are *just* back from Kidzania.  ALL KINDS OF AWESOME.   I am so excited about this place that I am writing about it immediately so that you don’t waste a minute partaking in the magic that it is.  Kidzania is – literally – an entire village for little people.  It is a fantastical place where kids can try their hand at any number of trades, from being a postal courier or dentist to an airline hostess or firefighter.

IMG_0093

Firefighting awesomeness

From the minute we purchased our “plane tickets” to travel to the land of Kidzania and stepped foot inside the makeshift village, Logan was entranced by the cranes, buses, cement mixers, fire trucks, and ambulances.  He was:  a fire fighter who rode in a fire truck to put out a hotel fire with (real) water; a vet who fed and bathed (not real) cats and dogs; a gas station attendant who filled up gas tanks and cleaned car wind shields (he also became a valet at this point); a pilot who flew a flight simulator; a student driver who took a simulated driving test at the Honda Safety Driving School; a construction worker who carried cement, climbed atop cranes, and sat in cement mixers; and an EMT who drove an ambulance.  All of this in a two hour visit (with one break for popcorn and one break for lunch).

IMG_0121

Gas attendant greatness

I love the concept of Kidzania – that kids can be anything if they put their mind to it.  I love the variety and choice it gives them with no preconceived notions about whether a dentist is cooler than a sushi chef; or a pilot better than an TV reporter.  I love that it creates independence in children.  Parents are not allowed in any of the demonstrations or activities – they watch from behind glass while their children get a (very short) tutorial about the trade craft  they’ve chosen, followed by hands-on practice of the trade (activities are about 10-15 minutes a piece).  When Logan flew the flight simulator, I couldn’t even go inside.  I actually got to chill for 10 minutes.  So nice.  For both of us!  Finally, I love that amid the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and the heat we are facing this time of year, Kidzania is a refuge for kids to get creative, role play, and be amazed by the things around them.

IMG_0028

Veterinary valor

It was awesome.  I’m going to say it one more time.  It was awesome.  Go.

Some tips to know beforehand:

  • Kidzania was really created for kids four and older.  If you go with a child under two and a half, you are wasting your time (and money).  Logan was just on the verge of being able to enjoy and pay attention to the activities.  He is almost three.  Most activities require that children are ages four and older . . . we found that you can fudge the age thing a bit (and that they are not that strict about it).
  • Do go on week days (however, I would not recommend going on school holidays).
  • Do go at opening – 10am.  If you go before 10am, you will not be able to enter the mall, so time it right.  If you wait until lunch time, it becomes much more crowded.
  • Do not go on weekends; I have heard you have to wait in line to do almost anything.
  • Do beat the traffic by taking the BTS to Siam Paragon.  Kidzoona is on the 5th floor at the back of the mall (unlike Ocean World, which is at the front of the mall).
  • Bring your camera.  You are sure to get lots of smiles out of your kids.
  • Bring healthy snacks.  There are snack bars inside with cotton candy and popcorn, as well as a Macdonalds, but nothing nutritious to speak of.
  • Be prepared for the price.  Admission for Logan (ages 3-4) was 300 baht; admission for me (adults) was 400 baht.  Admission for children ages four and up is even more steep.

And some more photos:

17 thoughts on “Kidzania: All Shades of Awesome”

  2. Ami says:
    Reply

    I just heard someone else talk about this new place today! We do plan on going, but after your recommendations, I guess we won’t go on the weekend. However, this will be a regular place for us to go this school year when we are HOMESCHOOLING!!!!

  4. Heidi says:
    Reply

    Were there any language issues? I had heard that non-Thai speakers may have trouble understanding everything that was going on.

    • lobrau says:
      Reply

      Hi Heidi! We encountered very few language issues. Of course, my little guy was just so interested in doing (because of his age) that I’m not sure language issues would have affected him much, but I can see how this would be a problem for older children. I do remember thinking that most of the people working the activities had better English than I would have expected. Hope this helps!

  5. Ad says:
    Reply

    Is there time restriction? For example funarium is unlimited playtime during weekdays but limited to 3 hrs. Unless you pay extra for unlimited during the weekend. Also would you say this place is good for a little over two years old girl? Over 500 or 600 bht is quite steep for 4-up, compared to other places. I suppose that is a guarantee that it will not be as crowded as other places. Do they have membership like funarium does?

    • lobrau says:
      Reply

      Hi Ad,

      Thanks for your comment.

      I would say that Kidzania is only worth your time and money if your child is about three years or older. I believe they do offer an annual membership, but I haven’t checked into it. Also, I don’t know about the time limit issue. We didn’t run into any time limit, but we were there for about two and a half hours on a week day. Hope this helps!

  6. Angie says:
    Reply

    Hi, I think I understand your enthusiasm about Kidzania for really young kids but I hope you allow me to add some comments in case one has older kids. I went to Kidzania with my 7 and 10 year old. I think at this age, children want to be able to do something themselves, put some of their own creativity in doing tasks. This is something that Kidzania doesn’t offer. All of the activities are based on following strictly the instructions that the supervisors will tell you to do. Many activities offer rather passive actions, e.g. in case of the fire-engine the kids get to sit in a fire-engine for a few minutes and then hold a fixed waterhose for a few minutes. At the veterinarian, kids have to listen to a long speech and then check the teeth of a (fake) dog for one minute. When one wants to do the “driver license”, it is obligatory to do the “eye test” first and there no chance of discussing such rules (just as an example of unflexibility). Again, I’m sure Kidzania can be great fun for smaller kids but it was no fun at all for my eldest and even my youngest was only slightly interested and would not want to go again. I guess up to the age of 8 it might still be worth going and at least try it once but above 8 I think one should be prepared for a dissapointed kid (especially in case of curious and exploring kids).

    • lobrau says:
      Reply

      Hi Angie! I appreciate your comment greatly because it is hard for me to take myself out of my three and under world sometimes and understand what it would be like for older children at places like Kidzania, Kidzoona, etc. It’s important that people get varying perspectives and I am so glad you took the time to comment about why it didn’t live up to the expectations that I set for it when it comes to older children. I didn’t realize it was so restrictive in terms of the “doing” in each activity and I agree with you that for older ages, it should allow for flexibility and creativity. Again, thank you, and I hope others will take the time to read this so as to get a different opinion.

  10. Pingback: Not All That Glimmers is Gold | Toddle Joy
  11. Kaho says:
    Reply

    I took my girls to Kidzania 3 times in Jakarta. It is one of their favorite kids entertainments. There is one in Mumbai that just opened or will be opening soon. I’m yet to try it. I will take my girls someday. I find it a bit tiring for parents unless I can go with my friends and their kids, but I’ll do it here for the girls. Great photos!!!

Leave a comment